Improvement in cotton-presses



2 Sheets-Sheet I.

H. B. JONES.

COTTON PRESS.

No.175,10-9. Patentei March 21,1876.

MPETERB. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. B. JONES.

COTTON-PRESS. No.175,109. Patented Marchzl, 1876.

Fig.2 %1

O o I" 5' B l G J a I z 1 a {UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIoE.

HENRY B. JONES, 0F BURTON, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND YARD & sULLI- VAN, OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,109, dated March 21, 1876; application filed December 13, 1875- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY B. JONES, of Burton, in the county of Washington and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact'description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification, and in which-- j Figures 1 and 2 represent side elevations, partly in section, showing two different forms of my invention. Fig. 3 is a top view of the box containing the operating-screw, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken through the line a: w in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to that class of'presses in which the pressure is gradually increased as the follower reaches home; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts-of the press with each other, as herein described, whereby sundry defects incident to this class of power-presses as ordinarily constructed are avoided, and a durable, easilyoperated, and very powerful press is produced.

In the drawing,'A represents an oblong box, grooved longitudinally at a, so as to form a recess for the operating-screw B. The latter may be made either in one or more pieces. When made in one piece, it has a double or reversed screw-thread, meeting near the middle, which is left blank, or without any screwthread, so as to rest and revolve in the hearing cl. When made in two pieces, I prefer to slant the pieces a little, as shown in Fig. 2, and place cog-wheels B, which engage with each other, upon the end of each piece, so that when propelled they. shall revolve in opposite directions. A universal joint or coupling may be substituted for the cog-wheels. b and 0 represent the bearings or journals for the screw B, one at each end of the box or sill A. When the screw B consists of two pieces, I prefer to have additional bearings 12 c at the other end of each piece, so as to secure stability and uniformity of motion. 0 G are slides, recessed on their under sides, so as to fit over and cover one-half the thickness of screw B. The semi-cylindrical recess thus formed in each slide has a female screw-thread corresponding to the male screw-thread of that part of the screw B upon which it is placed and slides. Each of these slides has four small wheels or rollers, 0, two on each side of the semi-cylindrical recess, which run on rails a, placed upon the box A, one rail on each side of the central screw or screws. By this arrangement, although the slides' G O slide upon and are propelled by-the screw B, yet their own weight, and the weight or pressure resting upon them. is notsustained by-the screw, and does not, therefore, increase the friction, but is carried by the wheels or rollers 0 upon the rails a.

It will also be observed that by this construction of the slides O 0 they may be lifted off the screw and placed at some point on said screw nearer to its ends, so that when bales varying in size are to be compressed no time or power need be lost in propelling the slides to the point where the resistance begins, but these (the slides) may be placed there before the press is operated, so that all the power will be utilized in compressing, and no time or power wasted in propelling the slides to the compressing-point.

D and D are the levers, which are pivoted in suitable bearings upon 0 and G, respectively, and also pivoted in bearings e c, secured to the under side of the follower E. The latter has bolted to its under side a casting, F, consisting of a plate, f, and four downwardprojecting arms, f, arranged in pairs, each pair forming a bearing, 0 e, for one of the levers. The outside edges of the arms f are curved in such a manner that when in operatin g the screw the levers assume about a twothirds upright position, the rounded shoulders mof said levers will press or bear against the rounded edges of plates f, thereby relieving the strain, when heaviest, from off the pins or bolts by which the tops of the levers are pivoted in their bearings. The castings O 0, into which the lower ends of levers D D are pivoted, are shaped in a similar manner, so as to relieve the strain from off the pivot-pins, and cause it to be sustained by the ends of levers and rounded tops of castings comin gin direct contact with each other when the pressure or strain becomes greatest.

The levers- D D are, preferably, made of wood, having iron caps or thimbles bolted onto each end, with rounded shoulders .10, as shown in the drawing.

The follower E works between guides G, arranged between the timbers or standards which sustain the top or cross piece ll, be tween which and the follower E is placed the cotton-box, (not shown in the drawing,) when it is desired to use this press for the compression of the lint at the gin. The frame of the press is suitably braced to withstand heavy pressure, and the screw B may be operated by any kind of suitable motive power.

This press is adapted for compressing bales before shipment, and also for the baling of the lint or loose cotton at the gin-house. Its arrangement of parts is such that it will withstand heavy pressure without getting out of order or breaking down, and, at the same time, it is simple, consisting, as it does, of few pieces, and easily operated. The power will gradually increase as the follower reaches home, (andthe levers D D assume an upright position,) as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that when the resistance to be overcome is greatest the pressure is in exact proportion thereto, increasing in or about the same ratio as. the resistance. At no time during the ep- B, made in one or more pieces, with slides O 0,

having a longitudinal semi-cylindrical screwthreaded recess, and provided with wheels or rollers a. running on rails a, parallel to the operatingscrew, so as tosustain and carry the snperincumbent weight or pressure, and relieve the screw B of the same, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. In a screw-press, the slides C 0, constructed with an open semi-cylindrical and longitudinal screw-threaded recess, and having wheels or rollers c, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BRADLEY JONES.

Witnesses L H. BOWERS, ROBERT FLAGK. 

